I spent a day with some other JET teachers on Kerama Island a few weeks ago. We went to Zamami, a very small town surrounded by beaches. The island is quite gorgeous and I hope to return sometime soon. It is very accessible from my home – 30 minutes on a bus then another hour on a boat and I am there.

One of my favourite things was this tiny mango stand. It reminded me of the small banana pancake huts one finds on southern Thai islands. They sort of support a tenet of Anthony Bourdain`s credo of “one person, one product” cooking.

Anyhow I got a mango smoothie, but should have gotten the Okinawa shave mango ice. It looked great. Next trip.

My mango smoothie was very refreshing. The mangos have been top notch, and may be one of my favourite fruits available thus far. It was basically mango puree and ice together, so more of a fresh juice than a western style milky smoothie.

You can find Mango Cafe by walking straight up the main street from the dock where the ferries arrive on Zamami. The stand is near the main store called 105. It is open 9am to 10pm.

Many fruits come in expensive packaging here because, well, they are expensive. Fruit can be a serious indulgence here, pricewise, and is often given as a gift, hence the boxes. But it tastes incredible. And you really savour it.

This drink was beyond refreshing. I drank it near a small garden of bonsai trees someone was raising.

Two styles of shave ice available.

For more information on visiting Zamami, check out David – a fellow ALT`s site. He lives on Zamami and has an extremely interesting life, even more so than most JETs, I think. You can read more about his life on his personal blog: davesensei.